The Hideout at Dalva

Mission, San Francisco –

A covert bar inside another bar, The Hideout is a classy alternative to the neighboring dives that dominate 16th Street, including Dalva, the very one it’s hidden behind.

Small groups of young professionals plow through the long room that makes up Dalva, past the horse painting and projection screen showing silent films, and through a small door in back that could easily be mistaken for the bathroom. Beyond that door, however, lies a cocktailer’s tiny paradise. The half-dozen seats at the intimate bar invariably fill with mixology buffs – skinny-jeaned and suited-and-tied alike – while a handful of round tables invite couples to cozy in with a bourbon flight and a few pre-dinner snacks like house-made chicharrón, a dish made with fried pork rinds.

Low beams and sultry red banquettes tucked in the corners give the space a distinct speakeasy quality, and it’s clear from the roster of visiting bartenders from institutions like Bourbon & Branch that this little space isn’t just for show. Because the drinks are high caliber, the service is slow, so by 10pm getting a beverage – let alone a seat – becomes an exercise in patience.

The reward for waiting, however, is the chance to sip some of the most intricate libations available in The Mission – proof positive that The Hideout is simply too attractive to have stayed hidden for long.